Dilip Kumar, the first ever Filmfare Best Actor, was born Mohammad Yusuf Khan on December 11, 1922 in Peshawar. Dubbed "the ultimate method actor" by Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray, Dilip Kumar went on to appear in 60 odd-films over 60 years.
With Shah Rukh Khan, Dilip Kumar holds the record for the most number of Filmfare Best Actor wins – eight in all.
Young Yusuf used to assist his father, a fruit merchant who owned orchards in Peshawar and Maharashtra's Deolali region. The family moved to Mumbai in the 1930s and in 1940, Yusuf left home, moving To Pune where he ran a canteen. He was spotted in the canteen by actress Devika Rani and her director-husband Himanshu Rai, owners of Bombay Talkies studio. Yusuf, re-christened Dilip Kumar by author and screenwriter Bhagwati Charan Verma, was cast as the male lead in Bombay Talkies' Jwar Bhata (1944).
Jwar Bhata went unnoticed but Dilip Kumar struck gold with 1947's Jugnu, opposite singer-actress Noor Jahan.
Veteran actor Dilip Kumar turns 90 today. Despite rumours of ill-health, Dilipsaab is spotted out and about fairly often and was last seen at the premiere of Aamir Khan's Talaash held on November 29. The actor attended the premiere with wife Saira Banu.
No birthday celebrations are planned, in the wake of the deaths of director Yash Chopra and Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. However, Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa province, where he was born before he migrated to India, will mark Dilipsaab's big day.
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